Species Distribution Modeling Project At Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California

The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest (NAVFAC SW) has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a Cooperative Agreement to support ecological monitoring and habitat modeling at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC). The grant, issued under Opportunity Number N62473-25-2-0005, aligns with the Sikes Act authority and supports conservation efforts critical to sustaining MCAGCC’s training environment. This area is vital for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) as it hosts extensive training activities, the success of which depends on the resilience of local desert ecosystems, weather systems, and biological communities. The goal of this funding opportunity is to quantify and prioritize ecologically important and at-risk habitats within MCAGCC, including those vital to biodiversity and resilience against extreme desert weather conditions. The project will utilize high-resolution LiDAR and orthophotography data in combination with existing species studies to improve the modeling of species distribution and habitat suitability. Objectives include modeling sensitive species niches, assessing habitat connectivity and threats, and recommending monitoring methods to guide future conservation and mission-aligned land use decisions. Work under the cooperative agreement is structured into four main tasks spread over three years. Year 1 will focus on geomorphological analysis and the development of a monitoring protocol. Years 2 and 3 will involve protocol testing and baseline data collection during two winter and spring seasons. By Year 3, the cooperator will produce GIS mapping, establish a rating system, and deliver comprehensive reports with revised protocols to assist the Marine Corps in adaptive natural resource management. Key deliverables include meeting notes, work plans, semi-annual reports, draft and final reports, and digital as well as hard copy data submissions. The award provides a total of $292,628 for Fiscal Year 2025 with one anticipated award and no cost-sharing requirement. The performance period is 36 months from the date of the award. All submissions must be made by August 4, 2025, at 2:00 PM Pacific Time. Notification of selection is expected by August 25, 2025, with the agreement commencing on August 31, 2025. Applications may be submitted electronically through Grants.gov or via direct email, and applicants must be registered in SAM and possess a Unique Entity ID. Eligible applicants are limited to Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) partners in California who meet qualifications under DoDGARS Part 34 or 2 CFR 200. Key personnel must meet strict credential requirements: the Principal Investigator must have a minimum of five years of relevant experience; Lab Managers and GIS Analysts must have at least three years of experience and a graduate-level science degree. Evaluation of proposals will consider personnel qualifications, scientific approach, and cost reasonableness, with all criteria weighed equally. For questions, the main contacts are Christen Gonzales (christen.m.gonzales.civ@us.navy.mil, 619-705-5529) and Mohamed Hadi (mohamed.m.hadi.civ@us.navy.mil, 619-726-5210), both from NAVFAC SW’s Environmental Conservation and Compliance Acquisition division. All application materials and full instructions are available at Grants.gov. While late applications may be accepted at the government's discretion, timely submission is strongly recommended.

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